


Up Close And Personal

by alphai



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Fluff, Nonbinary Character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-06-05 02:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6685852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphai/pseuds/alphai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By now, Zero was accustomed to being used as a sentient mirror as their teammates got ready every morning. Not the kind that told fortunes, but the kind that made snide remarks later about the expressions Maya made while she applied mascara.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up Close And Personal

**Author's Note:**

> ill fill up this ship tag by myself if i have to dont think i wont

"You're not making faces at me under there, are you?"

Thin shoulders rose briefly with quiet laughter. It was probably forced. Emotional responses weren't exactly Zero's strong point. Lilith tilted their chin up slightly, angling their head so that she could more easily see her reflection in the flatter part of their mask. This helmet was the most reflective object in Sanctuary. By now, Zero was accustomed to being used as a sentient mirror as their teammates got ready every morning. Not the kind that told fortunes, but the kind that made snide remarks later about the expressions Maya made while she applied mascara.

"You would never know," Zero answered, trying to stay still. "You assume I _have_ a face."

"I'm pretty sure you do." Lilith squinted at the tinted mask in front of her, focusing less on her half-finished eyeshadow and more on trying to see if any feature could be made out behind the glass. "You don't act like a robot, at least."

Zero tried to cock their head to the side, but Lilith kept a firm hold on their chin.

"Don't move, killer," she reminded them, briefly patting their shoulder before starting to work on the other eye.

"How are you sleeping?"

The question left her still for a moment, staring blankly at the black mask before focusing on her own reflection. She knew why they asked. She hadn't gotten to covering up the dark circles under her eyes yet, her cheeks were starting to look a bit more gaunt, her skin paler. It was subtle, but Zero had spent a bit more time staring closely at her face than most, so they were more acutely aware of it.

"Fine," Lilith said with a shrug, going back to applying her eyeshadow. "It's nothing you should worry about."

"But you're my leader," they insisted, tilting their head up again for her. "I _should_ worry about it. Your health is vital."

"It's not like we go out on bandit-hunting missions together." She made an attempt to change the subject. "We can, though. I hear interesting things about your fighting style. The only couple of times I've really seen it in person were..."

She trailed off, realizing that the subject had been changed to one she wanted to avoid even more.

"Something you want to talk about?" Zero's voice was unusually soft. They clearly understood.

Lilith was never sure why, but Zero was surprisingly easy to get along with. They worried without prying, they helped without questioning, and they trusted without much pause. And while Lilith tried to make friends with all of the new vault hunters, something about her relationship with Zero just seemed to give off a different vibe. If they felt the same way, she had no real way of knowing. Not yet.

"That wasn't a haiku," Lilith muttered, still wanting to deter them from the current topic even more than she wanted to finish putting on her makeup.

"I don't have to talk that way," they replied. "It just adds to the confusion that people already feel."

Lilith's grip had weakened by now, and Zero managed to tilt towards her again, as if they were trying to get a better look at her.

"Where are your eyes?" she asked after a moment. "I want to stare at them while giving you an incredulous look."

"Right here." Zero tapped two fingers against their mask. It was about where she would expect them to be, even taking into consideration that Zero probably wasn't human.

Lilith followed their indication, feeling much more confident in her expression now that she knew they could really see it (and assuming that they were giving an equally incredulous look right back at her).

"So that means..." she said slowly, gaze scanning down their 'face,' one hand coming up to follow. "Your nose would be here."

"If you can call it that." Zero mimicked her shrug. "I've seen how humans usually depict aliens. It isn't very far off."

" _All_ the ways that humans depict aliens?" Lilith laughed to herself. "You might want to avoid looking that up on the ECHOnet. Good to know my theory was right, though."

"I'll keep that in mind." Zero spoke even more quietly as Lilith kept slowly trailing her fingers down the edge of their mask. "Any other theories?"

"I theorize that your mouth would be—" Lilith stopped near the base of their helmet, thumb tapping at the front. "Right here."

Zero nodded slightly, letting her keep her hand in place. Both of them were silent for another moment, Lilith still tired from just waking up. Really, Zero was right to be worried, at least about that aspect. Not that she would tell them, of course. They had more important things to worry about besides how she was coping.

Without thinking, without really knowing what she was doing or why she was doing it in the first place, Lilith closed the incredibly small gap between them and kissed their mask on the spot by her fingers. Zero froze, not sure how to react. Something about their tone made it clear that they expected her to do something like this, but maybe they never really prepared themself for it. Lilith pulled back before they had time to process it, any embarrassment she might have shown covered up by a smirk.

"Damn, forgot I didn't seal my lipstick yet," she said simply, eyeing the mark she had left.

"Yes, I can see that." They were back to five syllables again. It was amazing how such a quick kiss could leave them so speechless, especially since she hadn't really kissed them. "Why did you do that, Lilith?"

"Can't a siren just kiss a masked assassin without there being a motive behind it?" Lilith quirked an eyebrow at Zero, reaching for her mascara. "Maybe I was just thanking you for being a good mirror."

"I doubt that's the case." Zero kept still again as she went back to work, one of their gloved hands slowly reaching up to wipe off the mark she had left. Lilith paused to grab their wrist, shaking her head.

"You look hilarious right now," she said with a grin. "At least keep it until I'm done."


End file.
